You can clean up cast iron

bangfxr,

I'd bet that it's VALUABLE, inasmuch as nearly anything that's RR marked is $$$$$$$$.
(My cousin has a "rather ordinary" Hamilton 992B that is marked: COTTON BELT. - According to the HCA, that C-B logo increases the value by 3-500.oo.)

yours, satx

On the estate planning, something to think about- all sorts of books, guns, knives that somebody interested in BP might like. Shame if the stuff just gets thrown out (talking about myself).
On the cast iron, just in case someone doesn't know- if the "coating" gets too thick you can usually put it in a 500 degree oven that softens the stuff and then (wearing mittens) just scrap the stuff off.
I think Dutch ovens used to be included in wills, etc. highly valued.

Crockett, I have heard the self-clean treatment referred to before. My precious century-old Griswold is like new on the cooking surfaces, but has quite a "bark" on the exterior. Will the self-clean thing take care o' this?

I don't know if that technique will work BUT 12 hours IN the FIREPLACE or INSIDE the firebox of a wood stove with a HOT hardwood fire WILL. = I've cleaned-up several "pitiful-looking" cast iron pieces that way, including my treasured 3-legged 16" spider w/ridged lid, that looked JUST TERRIBLE when I bought it for 3 bucks at a SCRAP METAL YARD.

yours, satx

treestalker said:

Grandaddy Martin Briggs brought home a new frying pan the day my dad Charlie was born(23 Mar,1910).It was given to Charlie before he left home, and my mom dropped it and broke out the handle in the 50's. :shake: Dad was a pipefitter by trade and had his welder put it back together. the weld looked like stainless, and was smoothed to contour on the inside. I inherited it and my second wife dropped it circa 2007, and destroyed it beyond repair. :redface: Almost 100 years of fried chicken! :shocked2: Tree.

Click to expand...

See there was a good reason for barefoot wives :stir: kept um careful about droppin the cast Iron. :rotf:

Ok now I should run for my life :haha:

What do you do, when you store a couple very large, well seasoned cast iron pieces in the oven, and wifey hits self clean?

Get madder than hell that's what!

She did, burnt of years and years of seasoning :cursing:

Oh well, I reasoned them to help me calm down

I'd bet that you were NOT as "smoke coming out of both ears angry" as I was at one of our "relief nurses", who "cleaned-up" my treasured 18" steel WOK until it shines almost like chrome!!!!
(For those who don't know, a wok takes MANY, MANY uses to get a GREAT season on it.- NOW we get to start all over. = !@#$%!)

yours, satx

My sisters didn't want Mom's cast iron so I got it... :grin:

For those that don't know, cast iron does well on the grill, here I'm cooking squash and onions...It can also be easily seasoned and left on the grill...

The first time I brought my different pieces of cast iron to cook for our men's breakfast at church that was the talk of the morning...Evidently there are a lot of ladies that don't cook with cast iron anymore...

There is currently a fresh craze regarding cast iron.

Gets kind of funny.

Some people act like it is a newly discovered alien artifact.

I wonder about barn found stuff that has had god knows what run throught them,
I have a skillet I melt lead in.

I wonder if there is a way to completely purge any pieces.

We talked about attempting to clean lead from a pot a while back. I don't think any one thought it was a good idea. Years ago I took care of a fellow that got lead poising from a cup he bought in mexico that had a lead glaze on it.( I,m a nurse in i c u) He said that juices tasted sweeter in the cup. Lead oxide is sweet to the taste.Just the little he got from a daily oj was enough to ruin his kidneys.
One unseen speck hidding in the connor sneaking out when you cook somthing acidy could be enough in a year or two to put you on the transplant list

Don't pass up cast iron skillets or dutch ovens because they are coated with grime/rust/smuttz. These skillets can go directly on the fire or on a grate, the dutch ovens on the fire or a tripod. Lots of info on YouTube on cleaning old ones. Seasoning them after cleaning takes time and practice, but once done, its good almost forever. Clean-up with a straw whisk or cloth.

Many flea markets & garage sales have grungy one around for reasonable prices, and don't be put off by ugly appearances, most can be redeemed to almost new appearance.

Wiser persons than me can comment on the use of these items (mostly a design from the 1850's)in a 18th/19th century rondy.